NEW YORK - NEW York's Metropolitan Museum of Art on Tuesday named a renowned British-born expert in tapestries as the cultural giant's first new director in three decades.

Mr Thomas Campbell, 46, will replace Mr Philippe de Montebello, who led the Met since 1977, the museum said in a statement.

Born in England and educated at Oxford University, Mr Campbell said he was 'deeply honoured that the trustees have selected me as the next director of this extraordinary and multi-faceted museum.'

Mr Campbell, who specialises in European tapestries and has worked at the Met since 1995, is currently curator for European sculpture and decorative arts. He will assume his new post on January 1.

'He is a distinguished art historian and outstanding curator, who is an ardent advocate for scholarship, connoisseurship, and the highest museum standards,' Mr James Houghton, chairman of the Met's board of trustees, said in the statement.

Mr Montebello also praised his successor as 'an outstanding art historian.' French-born Mr Montebello stepped down last January at the age of 71.

During his time as director, museum attendance rose from 3.5 million to 4.6 million visitors a year, while the institution's operating budget rose to US$200 million (S$287 million).

Founded in 1870, the Metropolitan Museum of Art holds more than two million works spanning some 5,000 years. -- AFP